Wichita eagle., 1887-12-28
CARELESS WITH A GUN.
A SENSIBLE MAN NEVER FOOLS WITH
FIREARMS mot LOADED"
Story of the Boy with an Empty Shot,
gun-A Lesson for Life-AnotIier Illus
tration of Criminal Carclessness-Ths
Only Safe Way.

tration of Criminal Carclessness-The
Only Safe Way.
Never handle firearms carelessly
used TO do it, but Of late years it makes
me boil to have anybody point n gun or
pistol toward me- Two events in my life
have done more TO inspire within me a
wholesome respect for firearms than any
thing else that ever happened TO me.
When ! was about i years old bor-
rosved a shotgun of n chum.
Is it loaded?" was the first question
asked.
No was the reply, and I, like q
goose, believed what he said.
On the way home with it ! met another
boy. who began lodging behind the shade
trees as I approached, Indian fashion. !,
Of course must do my part of the tragedy,
50 cooking the gun, ! began TO skulk too,
until. when we finally met. to show that
he was plainly il my power, / put the
muzZle OF the gun up close to his nose and
pulled the trigger
! thought no more Of the circumstance
until evening. when | began cleaning the
gun, and found that it was clno9ed up so
| could not blow through il. Procuring 4
cap. | placed it on the nipple. and, going
To the front door, pulled the trigger, and
away she went, with a report that awoke
the neighbors for blocks around and filled
the leaves of a cherry tree near by as full
Of holes IS a skinner.
Then / thought Of Tom, into whose face
had snapped the gun. The fact that the
cap had become damp alone prevented the
gun from being discharged and blowing
Toms head into smithereens.
Though his after life was fizzle, and
he filled drunkard's grave at an early
age. yet how my life would have been
blighted if. through my boyish careless
ness, he had been killed. | vowed a vow
at that time never TO be careless with fire.
arms
ANOTHER INCIDENT.
One more circumstance occurred after I
had grown TO manhood. ] was standing
on a pile of lumber, busily engaged in
measuring lumber, when. hearing
click" behind me. ! turned, and there
stood 0oatman pointing an army nusket
sauareiy at my head and sighting along
the barrel. The nuZzle of the gun Wa9
only six feet from my head, and he had
just snapped il at me. He was man %
years old, and. under the first angry I'M
pulse that came over me, said:
''You old fool. you ought 70 know bet
ter than 10 snap gun at fellows head
in that careless way"
'Aw, pshaw'' said he, cit isn't
loaded"
How do you know that
''Because it has been lying around my
boat for more than six months, ard |
know il isn't -
That's Just the reason you don't know
anything about it, - said l.
"Wall. now, you're making such fuss
about It, I'm going to get cap and show
you. Here, hold the gun till | CONS
back
While he was gone I ran the ramcod
down the barrel and found that it was
loaded
When he returned with cap ! removed
the Old one and replaced 1t with new
one. Pointing the gun upward l pulled
the trigger and a report followed, the re-
coil from which nearly knocked me off The
lumber pile and raised the boatman's hair
on end.
hat do you think now:'' | asked
''WeIl," " said he, ''that'S the last time
shall point gun at anybody if l live 100
years.
\ damp cap alone saved me that time,
and though | should not have been to
blame, yet this event would have blighted
my life still more effectUally than the first
one, for it would undoubtedly have blown
my head OF M shoulders and a man who
finds himself in thai condition can but
acknowledge that his life is. in 4 measure,
blighted, and his future plans ana pros
poets somewhat interfered with.
Don't fool with firearms If a gun is
loaded, and everybody knows il is loaded,
there is little danger Il is the gun and
the revolver which is not loaded that goes
of and kills folks or mains them for life.
So the only safe way is to handle them at
all times as though they were loaded
Get into the habit of so doing: then it
will become natural and easy to you, and
you may be spared the agony Of gazing
upon the mangled form Of some friend
through whom you have let daylight
Always keep behind a gun Yourself. and
point the muzzle away from otker people.
Sunshine.